Was listening to one of our local vets on the radio. They are very aware of pain and management. They appreciate trigger pain and prescribe all sorts of treatmets for the animal, including hydrotherapy. They also give glucosamine for joint pain, and because they can see an improvement in an animal, it is accepted that it works.

Glucosamine was stopped as a prescription drug for humans because there was not enough evidence that it actually helped humans.

Maybe the next professional I will discuss pain management with will be a vet. They do seem much more advanced and understand pain better, from animals who can't describe anything, but just appear better in themselves.

8 Replies

Hi Zanna, this brought great amusement to me - in a positive way. You are quite right/or rather the VET is. As said, they can see the improved benefits whilst our pets can't actually voice their pain - they can see an improvement. We can voice our pain and don't seem to get anywhere - thank you for sharing.

Hi Zanna it is the same with death,vets understand the need for a dignified death in the case of terminal illness and the law allows..sadly the humans dont have this . A lot ofcourse maybe down to the fact that vets fees are quite high,where as the nhs is 'free' (hahaha).

I know, if I were a horse or dog with my injuries, I'd be put to sleep

4 years agoHidden

Hello zanna,

Thanks for your insight.

Many of the treatments that our dogs have are more advanced than us humans as they are used to check on our pets in final stages of development, also a vet is payed and we have to pay for medications, not like the NHS. So in some instances the pet gets the better treatment.

I suppose on reincarnation we will be better coming back as a beloved pet, makes you think though

I totally agree with you on the vet thing. What you also have to remember is vets also have a longer period of training as they may treat anything from a gerbil to a cow and so they have to be really observant and listen to the owner who has called on their service.

They are also better with people generally because they are their livelihood whereas Doctors can be quite the opposite with the opposite reason. luckily for me I do not remember having a bad or rude doctor, sometime abrupt but generally with the reason in hospital nowadays their patients are dotted all over the hospital and what would generally be a walk down a couple of wards is now a hike around the hospital as people are put in the first free bed that comes along in whatever ward. this is the voice of experience as in the last two times in hospital this year the first was for three days and I was in three wards (excluding emergency) and the second time for 8 days I had four wards again excluding emergency.

A friend once commented on my pain, "It's awful that they can't do anything to help, I mean, they wouldn't leave an animal like this in pain, they'd...." and then she stopped herself saying what vets do to animals when they can't do anymore.

I'm not for the knackers yard just yet.

Another friend, on taking her cat to Cat Physio decided that if she had her time again that's what she'd make a career out of "£40 just to look at Tibbles walk up and down!" (I know there's more to it than that, before all the vets write in)